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Elementary Science

Science in the Everyday Life

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Jalynne Garza Jalynne Garza 60 Points

We know that science is all around us in the natural world, and it's easy for students to forget that, and it might be too easy for teachers to lose the topic at hand by saying everything is science and leaving the rest up to their imagination. 

My question: How do we ensure ourselves that science learning is being addressed correctly in the classroom so that students apply it daily without teachers having to point it out?

Carolyn Mohr Carolyn Mohr 92616 Points

Hi Jalynne,

I love your question because it is one that I ponder each time I start a new unit.  How can I make this topic 'down-to-earth' and relevant to my students' everyday lives so that they are learning science in a way that can be transferred what is happening outside the 4 walls of my classroom?

So one of the things I do, is that I make a list of ways I already know the content can be connected to my students' everyday lives.  Then I go to the 'Phenomena for NGSS' website ( https://www.ngssphenomena.com/ ) to hunt for photos and video clips that might mirror the experiences I want to highlight.  If you haven't had a chance to check that resource out yet, please do.  You can search for phenomena by topic or DCI (disciplinary core idea).

The best way to ensure we are making appropriate connections is to utilize a site like this that already has vetted connected phenomena available to us to use. 

Let me know if this was helpful.  If not I will look for some other resources.  

Best,

Carolyn Mohr

Senior Online Advisor and Adjunct Science Methods Professor

Katlynn Duck Katlynn Duck 1773 Points

Hey Jalynne! 

Thank you for posting this question. I feel that it is super important that we don't lose sight of the importance of science in our world. You are so right. It is super easy to just say everything is science instead of really understanding what is science and why. As a future teacher I don't want to get wrapped up in the unit and forget to teach how to those basic life science skills to my students .

Mikayla Freeze Mikayla Freeze 1858 Points

Hi Jalynee,

The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to the application of science is something my high school teacher did for my class. She asked us many scenios of our life. If this were to happen, what would you do? Do you have a daily routine? Do you like to cook/ bake? While the students may not think about it at first, but each of those questions pertain to science. We are looking at cause/effect, procedures, mixtures; stuff like that. While we can discuss these concepts, we can show the students that we participate in science in our every day life without thinking about. It might take some pointing out at first, but if you show the students that everything they do is with the help of science, they will start seeing it too.

Erika Haley Erika Haley 1538 Points

As a young student, I never connected with science. I thought it was interesting and experiments were fun, but it never clicked with me. I think that if I would have realized how much science is in our daily lives, I may have connected with it more. Now I am not saying that my teachers did not try to help us make connections to our daily lives, but I never had a, 'Wow, science is so cool!', moment in my young educational career. When I get to the classroom, I plan on showing my students the things I am learning now about science. I want them to know that it can be fun and engaging.

Bethany O'Clair Bethany O'Clair 80 Points

Hello Jalynne!

I love this question because I feel it is hard to teach students to view the world as scientists themselves. One method you may want to consider is an inquiry-based approach. Have the students come up with a list of 'real-world science' questions at the beginning of the year and try to tie as many of them as you can into your future units. Revisit this prompt from time-to-time once students have had some experience with 'real-world' science and see what other questions they can come up with! I feel that students make much more meaningful connections to subjects and questions they are actually interested in. As a preservice teacher, I hope to use a lot of inquiry based teaching in my classroom. One you introduce the idea of questioning the world, students will begin to do it naturally themselves.

Good Luck,

Bethany O'Clair

Maria Rodriguez Maria Rodriguez 1078 Points

Hey Jalynne,

It is important to keep the authentic importance of science and how what we learn is going to help our students in the outside world. It is also very important to keep our information that we will teach to date. Science is changing all of the time so as teachers we have to be prepared to say the latest news going on with the topic we are teaching. In addition, preparation is key. We have to keep in mind that children will ask questions that we might not have the answer to. This is okay, we must point out the important facts and make a connection with the learning and student. If the students have interest and that background knowledge, they will apply their learning to the outside world. 

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